TIJUANA  Had this been an English country road, Tom Fremantle might have seemed a natural part of the scenery. But Tijuana’s Avenida Internacional, one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, is not a place where a man normally walks his dog.

Fremantle and Pancho were nearing the end of their 49-day journey that started in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 9. The 1,000-mile trip had a purpose: supporting the work of nonprofit groups and drawing attention to border issues. He has reached about half his $25,000 goal.

A 42-year-old former journalist and psychiatric nurse, Fremantle has been working as a volunteer in Ciudad Juárez since 2010. Preparing to return to England, he decided to walk the U.S.-Mexico border with Pancho, an adopted Juárez street dog, and a support team driving an ambulance supplied by Ciudad Juárez Cruz Verde.

Tom Fremantle and dog Pancho, at the border fence in Playas de Tijuana on Thursday. With them are are two volunteers who accompanied them on the last leg of their journey, Erick Alcaraz Robles, 20, left and Javier Felix Ocejo, 18.— David Maung

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Tom Fremantle and dog Pancho, at the border fence in Playas de Tijuana on Thursday. With them are are two volunteers who accompanied them on the last leg of their journey, Erick Alcaraz Robles, 20, left and Javier Felix Ocejo, 18.
/ David Maung

This is what he had to say as he neared the end of his journey on a brisk, wintry Thursday, watching as Pacific Ocean waves broke at the border fence that separates Tijuana and San Diego.

How it all started:“I was watching a documentary film about Juárez. They said they wanted English-speaking volunteers there. I contacted the Fundación Comunitaria de la Frontera Norte (in Ciudad Juárez). I told them, ‘I’m no hero. If the bullets are flying, I’m not going to stick around.’”

What he discovered: “I went to work for a charity, I was teaching kids in the barrios, I was fundraising. I was just an English guy working at a charity. I’m not a narco, I’m not a policeman, I’m not a soldier. I’m not in a position where I’m vulnerable.”

The route: “I wanted to be on both sides of the border. One of the things that I’ve found is that in El Paso, there’s an incredible fear of Mexico. It’s like a drawbridge has gone up, and I think that’s rather sad. I was hoping this walk might spread a bit of a message of hope and trust. If a crazy Brit can walk on both sides of the border and come out at the other end unscathed, then it’s OK for others.”

Scary moment: “We were putting the tents up south of Agua Prieta, lighting fires for the evening. This group of guys arrived pretty drunk with guns. They weren’t overly aggressive. When they saw the ambulance, they said, ‘Can we help you?’ They came back at one o’clock in the morning and said again, ‘Do you guys need anything?’ And then they drove off.”

Unexpected encounter: “In the Altar Desert, one immigrant approached the ambulance. He was carrying just a bottle of water, in the middle of nowhere. We quickly gave him food and water and he was off again. It was quite eye-opening. It’s a pretty treacherous landscape and very, very isolated, and so many people are braving it just to help their families get a better life.”

Border splendor: “I had one amazing evening, walking through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. An incredible sunset lit up the sky. The cacti were higher than rugby posts. Pancho was walking on the pristine sand, and you got the crunch of his pads, we had the desert grouse whispering away and we had a coyote howling.”

The kindness of strangers: “We were shown generosity on both sides. There was an old man, quite early in the journey in Mexico, near Ascención. He passed us and said a few things I didn’t understand, and the next minute he came back in his truck and gave us some drinks and some apples.”

What’s next: On Saturday, Fremantle is scheduled to walk one more time — from the San Ysidro border to the offices of the International Community Foundation in National City. On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., the foundation will co-host — with Tijuana’s Fundación International de la Comunidad and the San Diego-based Border Philanthropy Partnerhip — a talk by Fremantle at the Center for Civic Engagement, 2508 Historic Decatur Road.